A slew maneuver may be used to steer a spacecraft. The steering may be accomplished by altering an attitude of the spacecraft with respect to a reference frame. A slew maneuver can be carried out using one or more slew actuators. For example, reaction wheels or thrusters may be used as slew actuators.
A command to initiate a slew maneuver may originate from ground control or from a control system onboard the spacecraft. In one example, a slew control command may be issued to a satellite in order to turn the satellite with respect to its orbital velocity vector. In this example, the satellite steering may be performed to orient antennas, sensors, or solar panels for improved operation. Satellite steering may be also performed for navigation purposes.
Steering logic may be applied within a control system of the spacecraft to perform an attitude alteration or slew maneuver. A common challenge during such a maneuver is to avoid attitude overshoot, overcorrection, or oscillations at the end of the slew maneuver. Such control issues may introduce increased settling time into the maneuver. These difficulties may be particularly troublesome when maneuvering a larger spacecraft. Overshoot and unwanted oscillations around a target attitude may waste time and fuel. During rapid slew maneuvers, it may be particularly difficult to tune the angle and the rate limit to achieve smooth slew performance.